An Indianapolis reporter, Rafael Sanchez of ABC affiliate WRTV, was denied a credential to cover President-elect Donald Trump‘s “victory tour” visit to the city Thursday.
Sanchez, the station’s chief investigative reporter, said his request for credentials was denied by executives of Carrier, whose plant was host to Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who were celebrating the company’s decision to keep more than half of some 1,400 workers whose jobs were set to be moved to Mexico.
“I’ve been an aggressive reporter on this issue,” Sanchez said in a story filed outside the plant. “I’ve been telling the people’s story, the workers’ story throughout this entire episode.”
Sanchez had reported on the company’s decision to ship jobs to Mexico, and traveled to the country to illustrate what awaited relocated workers. “I’ve shown … that a Hoosier cannot move to Monterrey, Mexico, and live off three dollars an hour,” said Sanchez, who said he was not angry or bothered, but vowed to “do his job.”
Marc Lotter, Pence’s press secretary, said the campaign was not involved in the decision to deny Sanchez access to the event.